DIRECT Technology for Secure Messaging

DIRECT Technology is a secure messaging technique that transports Health Information Exchange (HIE) by directed, or point-to-point transactions. This type of technology exchange relies on The DIRECT Project secure messaging protocol. The DIRECT Project, launched in March 2010 as a part of the Nationwide Health Information Network, was created to specify a simple, secure, scalable, standards-based way for participants to send authenticated, encrypted health information directly to known, trusted recipients over the Internet.

DIRECT technology is a transport solution for HIE, therefore it does not focus on the content being exchanged. Anything from simple text narratives to structured documents, such as transitions of care, lab results, or images can be exchanged using DIRECT.

The DIRECT message is secure because the information included is encrypted until opened by the intended recipient. And DIRECT technology is easy to adopt because it looks and operates very much like commonly used electronic email systems.

For Tennessee healthcare providers wanting to use DIRECT technology to exchange healthcare information, there are two options to consider based on whether they operate in the private or public sector.

Tennessee Health eShare DIRECT Project. Any private healthcare provider in the State of Tennessee interested in DIRECT Technology can visit the Tennessee Health eShare DIRECT Project website to find out basic information about DIRECT Technology and a list of vendors that can provide DIRECT technology for secure message exchange. All vendors listed on this website are certified in the Trust Bundle with DirectTrust.org (DTO).

The Health eShare DIRECT Project website is also where Tennessee providers can register their DIRECT address into the Tennessee DIRECT Directory.

Tennessee eHealth Portal - DIRECT for State Agency Users. The Tennessee eHealth Portal has been established to enable Tennessee State agency users to securely send and receive patient data to and from external healthcare providers and hospitals that have a DIRECT email address and to securely send and receive patient data internally, between State agencies and State agency users.